Core Faculty
Joseph Williams, MD, FASAM
Associate Professor, UNC Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Interests: inpatient addiction medicine, forensic behavioral health, academic addiction medicine
Chief Responsibilities:
- Director, Addiction Medicine Program
- Program Director, Addiction Medicine Fellowship
- Director, Carceral Psychiatry Services
- Seminar Supervisor
- Supervising Physician, Addiction Medicine Consult Service
- Supervising Physician, STAR Clinic
Lucien Gonzalez, MD, MS, FAAP
Associate Professor
Clinical Interests: non-pharmacological approaches to youth substance use and co-occurring behavioral health concerns, community-based interventions for youth substance use
Chief Responsibilities:
- Associate Program Director, UNC Addiction Medicine Fellowship
- Medical Director, STAR Clinic
- Supervising Physician, Addiction Medicine Consult Service
- Supervising Physician, STAR Clinic
Shonali Saha, MD, FASAM
Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Interests: Improving criminal legal system responses to substance use disorders, liberation psychology, mindfulness and other contemplative practices for the treatment of substance use disorders, harm reduction, psychedelic-assisted therapy
Chief Responsibilities:
- Supervising Physician, Addiction Medicine Consult Service
- Supervising Physician, STAR Clinic
- Provider, STAR Clinic
- Addiction Medicine Journal Club Supervisor

Roy Stein, MD
Professor, UNC Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Interests: Motivational interviewing, treatment of co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders, integration of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy in addiction treatment
Chief Responsibilities:
- Seminar Supervisor
- Supervising Physician, STAR Clinic
- Provider, STAR Clinic
Jennifer Kemper, MD
Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Psychiatry
Clinical Interests: health care equity, psychosis and substance use disorders, first episode psychosis, physician learner education
Chief Responsibilities:
- Supervising Physician, STAR Clinic
- Medical Director, Wake Encompass
- Provider, STAR Clinic
Irina Phillips, MD
Assistant Professor, UNC Department of Anesthesiology
Clinical Interests: intersection of pain and substance use disorder
Chief Responsibilities:
- Supervising Attending, Addiction Medicine Consult Service
- Rotation Supervisor, Pain Consult Service Rotation
- Provider, STAR Clinic
Maria Gabriela Castro, MD
Associate Professor, UNC Department of Family Medicine
Clinical Interests: substance use disorder treatment, mental health, rural primary care, rural residency training
Chief Responsibilities:
- Seminar Supervisor
- Research Lead, NC STAR Network
- Provider, STAR Clinic
- Faculty, Family Medicine Rural Residency
Michael Baca-Atlas, MD, FASAM
Associate Professor, UNC Department of Family Medicine
Clinical Interests: enhanced primary care for serious mental illness, MOUD with long-acting injectables, pregnant and parenting individuals with substance use disorder, trauma informed/person centered care, motivational interviewing in primary care
Chief Responsibilities:
- Rotation Supervisor, Tobacco Consult Rotation
- Medical Director, REACH Enhanced Primary Care
- Associate Medical Director, Tobacco Treatment Program
- President, NC Society of Addiction Medicine
Additional Supervising and Affiliated Faculty/Providers
Sasha Deutsch-Link, MD – Hepatology
- UNC Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Hersh Shroff, MD, MPA – Hepatology
- UNC Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Claire West, MD – NC STAR Network
- UNC Department of Medicine, Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology
Andrea Knittel, MD, PhD, FACOG – Horizons Program
- UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Elisabeth Johnson, PhD, FNP-BC, CARN-AP, LCAS – Horizons Program
- UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dominika James, MD – Pain Medicine
- UNC Department of Anesthesiology
Letitia Hazel, MD – SouthLight Healthcare
Ben Powell, PA – SouthLight Healthcare


